One more spoonful

Inspired by

Beth Kempton

’s #tinyspringpoem series, this poem was written to the prompt ‘AWED’. The rules of the challenge are to write a poem, without editing, in ten minutes. I made one small edit to the very end of this poem (as I was reading it, in fact!) but otherwise it is as it was after those ten minutes.

If you enjoy tiny poems, please follow Beth’s prompts, they’re beautiful, you can find them in her Notes or on her instagram.

One more spoonful

Her laugh when I hand feed her baby doll
spoonfuls of air from the cup in her hand,
her command being so pure,
and so sure of herself
I am too in awe to ignore.
His smile when I join in with T-rex arms -
don't mix with meerkat arms,
T-rex ones up by our chins
while for meerkats they're lower - 
that grin makes my heart swell
with love for this child.
This life-work of mothering - 
hard, often
governing bed-time and dressed-time
and food and the moods 
of each one of us
soon overwhelmed.
But the well full of pride
and the tide-wave of heart-swell
so wide that I'd die for them.
Who could deny them
or me?
One more spoonful.
One more smile.